Royal Legacy
by K.M.Leeson
Summary: Mary had always been surrounded by rules and regulations, raised in a world of royalty and suppression; she had little desire to find love. That was until she met Edward, he may not have been the one but he gave her hope that love did exist. A story inspired by Mary I, this is almost complete fiction, a back story behind and running next to the series.


This is something I've had running through my mind for a while now, you know those dreams where you're living in movie, well this is one of mine. It was inspired by my reading about Mary I and watching the show so my Mary is based loosely on her, her family history and stuff like that. This is set in the Tudor period but is almost completely fiction so I apologise that the language is not what they would have used in the 16th century, I'm not a history scholar, not yet anyway. As this was a movie in my head I imagine actors as each character so please feel free to guess who is who as I have a cast list in my head, if anyone gets one right, I'll put them in the story or add a plot twist of their choice! Anyway, I hope you like it; responses are always appreciated and thank you for reading!

Chapter 1

Mary was 15 when she first started to consider the idea of love, she had never really believed in it prior to this, her parents' marriage was not one of love, not anymore anyway. As the only surviving child of a relationship that's main goal was to produce heirs, she was trapped in the centre of something she could not control so the thought of having a relationship like her parents was never something she ever wanted. Yet at 15 her opinion on love, marriage and children began to change.

If anyone at court had been asked about an Edward Parker and his appearance, the response would often describe him as average, a handsome man, yes but not generally a man that would make every woman in court weak at the knees. His strawberry blonde hair and freckles kept a look of youth on his features, a boy, not yet a man, though at this time he was only 18. He stood around 5 feet 10 inches tall, rather slim and a true English rose in complexion; his eyes were a sparkling blue, a colour of true beauty within court. Even at 15 Mary knew her feelings for this young man was true, he was the brother of her good friend Helena, a friends she had known since childhood, he too had spent a lot of time with them growing up but once he turned 14 he was no longer permitted to play with the girls, he had to act like an adult. Even at 11 Mary thought nothing of this and carried on as before. It was only when he returned from a year away that she noticed how much he had grown, his voice had become deeper, his shoulders were broader and his overall demeanour was far more masculine, this was when she stopped thinking of him as Helena's brother but rather as Edward, a man unto himself. Edward on the other hand had always had a soft spot for Mary, not for her title or her family but for her endearing personality and incomparable beauty. He had always loved how her hair, generally a soft brown seemed to sparkle Auburn when allowed to sit under sunlight, her eyes, alternating between a deep blue and a simmering green, and the paleness of her English rose skin, she was beautiful. She was not the epitome of beauty in society, she did not have the flowing golden locks or the small button nose, yet her mane of soft ringlets were very becoming and Edward could not imagine nor wish for her to be any other way.

It was in the summer of 1534 when the romance began to blossom, the space between the beginning and the end was very short, barely 2 months. Mary had been staying with the Parker's that summer, she had been quite ill beforehand and her father insisted that she take some time away from court and enjoy the English countryside. Mary had lived in the big towns and cities all her life, being in the countryside did not please her to begin with, every time she went for a walk she'd come back dirty. It seemed Edward was quite the opposite; it was his love of adventure that started their romance.

It was a hot July day when it all began, Edward had somehow managed to get Mary to go out for an evening walk with him, the air was still humid and the sun still managed to emit a large amount of heat even as it was setting. It wasn't long until the pair had found their way to the lake near the Parker's manor, by this point the sun had disappeared into the blackness, leaving only the moon to reflect off the lakes surface. Edward, being the carefree man he was spent little time gazing at the sight, instead he smirked wildly and began to remove his clothes. Before Mary could say a word the child like man was running for the lake, stark naked, jumping about. He turned rather suddenly when he reached the lakes edge, facing Mary, looking her dead in the eye, "Are you just going to stand there and watch me? He began to smirk cockily at the thought of her gazing at his naked form, "Or are you going to join me?", he smiled one last time, faux arrogance dripping from each movement, before turning and jumping into the lake. Arms flailing, the water did not seem to slow the boy down, he splashed rather forcefully, glad to have the break from the sweltering heat. Mary just stood where he had left her, smiling innocently as she watched the moons soft beams ricochet of her friends body, quietly laughing to herself, it was nice to see a man of the court who strived for honour, respect and general etiquette jumping around like a wild beast. Her teeth moved forward to capture her lower lip, never before had she seen a man so free from his worries, no fear of being caught, no care for the consequences; she envied it, and him. She knew it wasn't going to take much persuasion to get her to join him; her life was full of rules and people telling her what to do. This, this was far from that world, something she would never do if anyone else was around, all it would take is a few words and that would be it, she would be lost, in a fantasy of freedom and chance. It wasn't long before Edward was facing her again; protected up to his waist in water, there were fewer distractions for the young girl's eyes. "You can't leave me out here alone Mary"

"And why is that sir?" She smirked back, taking the bait.

"Because I shall drown"

"Oh really?" Mary asked, sarcasm dripping from each word.

Rather than argue with the young woman, Edward instead began thrashing about, "I'm drowning my Lady, help me!" he continued like this for a good 30 seconds before disappearing under the water.

Mary couldn't stop laughing; she was normally such a rigid person, she was never the girl who clung to every word a man said, laughing along regardless of how precocious her suitor sounded, yet here she was doing exactly that with no real excuse for it. By the time Mary realised that Edward had been under the water for a long time, she was already half undressed, ready to join it. The realisation stalled her for a moment, what was he doing? She began to worry slightly, her limbs jumping back into action to remove the rest of her clothing at a vastly increased pace. She knew it was all a joke but something in her stomach worried that something might actually be wrong.

Unlike Edwards rather theatrical run to the water, Mary ran on her toes, elegantly trying to combine speed with elegance, her hands trying ever so hard to cover up any parts that could incite a reaction. Being a lady, she dipped her toes in first to test the waters; it was cool, not icy enough to freeze but cold enough to ease the heat of the night. The feeling urged her to plunge forward, jumping similarly into the water in a similar manner to that of Edward. The sudden addition of another person forced Edwards head to the surface, "Fancy meeting you here" he smiled.

Mary just shook her now drenched head as she attempted to stay calm. Edward had now made his way towards her, a look of determination on his face, all striking, no sign of a smile or the dimples his cheeks normally adorned. When he was about 4ft away from her he stood still and before she could ask what he was doing he began splashing her and laughing as the water flew through the air towards her. Mary inhaled sharply, not expecting this blow. Unfortunately for the young man his opponent was very quick and almost instantaneously began thrusting water at him. With each splash the pair drew nearer to one and other, neither one noticing how close they were becoming until they were in close enough proximity for Edward to grab Mary's wrists to prevent the next blow. Movement suddenly stopped, both of them trading in their enthusiasm for an exchange of looks. Edward gulped as his eyes flicked between his hand and her eyes, he did not realise that he was gently pulling the brunette towards him. Their face, now only inches apart showed little to no sign of the multitude of thoughts running through both their minds. Within an instant the grip Edward had on Mary's wrist released as he plundered forward towards her lips. It wasn't a slow movement, nor was it anticipated, it was purely instinctual, a movement fuelled by desire that had been pooling inside him for quite some time now. She did not retract or run away, instead she leaned into the man, lips gently colliding in a way she had never felt before, and true she had never kissed a boy before but she could tell from the moment their lips met this was different, this was special.


End file.
